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In
September 1991, the office of Vice-President of Corporate
Responsibility and Compliance was created, consolidating the
corporation's internal auditing and security functions, and
establishing the role of corporate ombudsman.
The
BellSouth Corporate Ethics Office was created in November 1996. It
expanded as the Office of Ethics and Compliance in 1998. In 2000 it
was renamed the Office of Ethics and Compliance, reporting to the
Senior Vice-President of Corporate Compliance and Corporate
Secretary. Duane Ackerman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
BellSouth, said "This new position is being created to better focus
and align the Corporate Ethics roles and activities performed across
BellSouth. It also demonstrates the critical role Corporate Ethics
plays in the daily lives of all our employees."
Also
in 2000, Mr. Ackerman announced the creation of the BellSouth
Compliance Policy Board. In a letter to senior management, Mr.
Ackerman said, "BellSouth has built a reputation for operating with
the highest ethical behavior and full adherence to all applicable
laws and regulations. To uphold this long-standing commitment to the
integrity of our business, I am continually looking for ways to
improve the effectiveness of the policies and practices that ensure
we fully comply with all legal and ethical standards." The purpose
of the Board was to enhance senior management's oversight of
BellSouth's compliance efforts. The Board's responsibilities include
evaluating and strengthening compliance policies and standards,
reviewing the effectiveness of compliance activity in each business
unit, and ensuring that the responsibility and accountability for
compliance resides at the most senior levels of management.
The
BellSouth Compliance Program has been designed to formalize and
document a governance process, provide a structure for the
coordination and facilitation of compliance activities and to
provide expertise throughout the corporation. The objective of the
compliance program is to protect and enhance the company's
reputation for integrity and to reduce any potential liability
through compliance with the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Responsibility
Responsibility for compliance and corporate governance oversight is
vested with the BellSouth Compliance Policy Board. The Board will:
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Evaluate, review, and enhance compliance policy and standards for
BellSouth.
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Evaluate ethics and integrity issues as they arise in the business
and anticipate trends in corporate ethics.
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Conduct reviews of the effectiveness of compliance activity in the
business groups.
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Review discipline policy to ensure consistent enforcement.
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Report to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the
Corporation and provide periodic updates to the Audit Committee of
the Board of Directors.
Responsibility for strategic planning and tactical oversight of the
Compliance Program is vested with the Senior Vice-President of
Corporate Compliance and the Corporate Secretary. The Director of
Ethics and Compliance is responsible for the day-to-day operations
of the Compliance program and for ensuring that the tools to support
the various compliance programs are developed. An working group of
Compliance Executive Staffs and Compliance Coordinators from each
business unit work together to ensure the establishment of:
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Adequate standards and procedures.
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Training and communication initiatives.
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Monitoring and auditing systems.
Communications
Effective Ethics and Business Compliance communications are
accomplished through formal training, as well as videos,
publications, the BellSouth Ethics web site, and live presentations.
Items currently available are listed below:
1. Training
Ethics, Compliance and Business Conduct training is a cornerstone of
the BellSouth Compliance program and is administered as part of new
employee orientation.
2.
Intranet
The
Ethics Intranet sites offers:
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Ethics
Questions and Answers.
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Resources such as streaming video, PowerPoint presentations, Word
documents and ordering information for ethics/compliance-related
videos and CDs.
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Interactive case studies.
3.
Publications
BellSouth Connections
is used to communicate on a regular basis with employees about
various aspects of compliance. Articles are written by subject
matter experts and contact names and phone numbers are furnished.
4.
Visual Media
Videos
or DVD’s, covering various risk areas, are purchased/produced and
distributed.
5.
Ethics and Compliance Office
BellSouth has a well-publicized "Ethics Line" that any employee may
call, without fear of retribution, to receive advice or to report
compliance concerns. Additionally, specific compliance matters and
business controls are subject to review by BellSouth Internal Audit.
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